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Venice is a unique city in the world, not only for the beauty of its churches and its monuments or for the richness of its artworks, but mainly for its particular morphology and location: in fact, the city, whose shape resembles a fish, rises on an archipelago of about a hundred big and small islands, separated by numerous canals and joined by bridges.
Venice is a “water city”, surrounded and carried through by the water of its lagoon.
Therefore, there aren’t any roads for cars, motorbikes or bicycles, but only lanes, squares, waterways and canals… the city traffic takes place exclusively on pedestrian routes and on water!
For this reason, arriving and getting around in Venice can be difficult if you are visiting the city for the first time…

Public transports

If you don’t like to walk or time is too short then use public transports the ACTV boats links the historic centre and islands of the lagoon.

We suggest to take a ride on the water bus (vaporetto) that goes all along the Grand Canal (boat nr. 1) here faces the great historic palaces now site of museums and exhibitions.

Ticket available at mains boat stop or VE.LA. point.
Timetable. Rates and info on Website Hello Venezia .

Private transports

Certainly the most expensive are private water taxi, motorboats that provide the private service in the lagoon.
Another popular way, beloved by venetians who wants to cross the Grand canal not using one of the four bridges, is the “traghetto” gondola service, those goes back and forth all day long form a side to other of the Grand Canal, it cheap and passenger have to stand. Traghettos pier are San Marcuola, Santa Sofia, San Tomà, San Samuele, Santa Maria del Giglio and Dogana.

Needless to say that the most romantic way to visit the City by water is the famous Gondola, a sort of trademark of the city, not much in use by Venetian in that sense.

Getting around in Venice

There are only to ways to get around in Venice: on foot, between lanes, squares and bridges or crossing the water canals by using public waterbuses or boats which operate privately.

The best way to visit the city in order to discover its most hidden corners is, without a doubt, on foot. So, make sure you have a good map and don’t hesitate to lose yourselves between bridges, lanes and squares, away from more touristy routes, and you will be able to enjoy that magical and striking atmosphere that can be breathed only in a city like Venice!
In fact, getting lost between narrow lanes, crossing boisterous and piebald squares or having a rest in the most silent corners of the city can turn out to be a unique experience, bearing in mind that you know how to respect some of those “unwritten rules” that are very much appreciated by the Venetians, like, to keep on your right when walking down the lanes and not to have a long rest on the bridges! 
But if you don’t have a city map, don’t worry! On the corners of the buildings’ walls you will find numerous yellow signs (so-called “Venetian small cloths”) which will indicate the directions to be followed in order to reach the most important sights – St Mark’s, Rialto, Accademia – and the main arrival and departure points, the bus station Piazzale Roma and the main train station.

And if you really don’t know where to go, you will always be able to ask some Venetians who will give you information about directions with pleasure!
If you are not in the mood to walk or you have little time to visit the city, you can use the ACTV public transport services which connect various points of the Venetian city centre and the lagoon islands.

We suggest that you visit the city using a waterbus that crosses the entire Grand Canal that is overlooked by the most beautiful historic palaces of Venice, which are today important museums and exhibition halls.

You can purchase the tickets from ACTV or at VE.LA. points.
For information about timetables, line numbers and prices, visit the website Hello Venezia

Surely, more expensive than public transport are the water taxis, speedboats that provide a private transport service in the lagoon.
Another way of getting around that is very much used by the Venetians when they want to move from one side of the city to another without having to cross one of the three bridges on the Grand Canal are traghetti which are slightly bigger gondolas where you usually stand up and which operate between San Marcuola, Santa Sofia, San Tomà, San Samuele, Santa Maria del Giglio and la Dogana.    

But the most romantic way to visit Venice from the water is certainly the famous gondola, a traditional boat of the Venetian lagoon, now rarely used by the Venetians.